Two world records set at Waitangi

Two world records have been "smashed" at Waitangi today.

Crowds at the Treaty grounds gathered on a field nearby to challenge world records in ukulele playing and poi.

Later this afternoon, the records in haka, waiata, and mau rakau will be challenged.

Strategic Health Alliance general operations manager Dallas Hibbs said close to 500 people gathered to unsuccessfully challenge the ukulele group playing record, which currently stands at 851.

"All were visibly singing and either playing the ukulele or if they didn't have an ukulele they were playing air ukulele," Mr Hibbs said.

However, the group did set a world record for a group singing a Maori song.

Shortly afterwards, the world record for poi was also challenged.

"That was bigger again. There is no official count in yet but we estimate about 800," he said.

"The record we found on YouTube, which is very reliable, was 250 hippies swinging fire poi. We smashed that by a factor of three."

Strategic Health Alliance was aiming to get as many whanau as possible participating in the event

The alliance looks at how health authorities can respond to groups in need of specific healthcare.

"The latest health scare that we've had is the H1N1 scare and the only people to get H1N1 in Auckland were Maori," he said.

He said the alliance's aim was to reach groups of people without being patronising or insulting.